Emergency sirens to be replaced

COLDWATER — The City of Coldwater will replace one of five sirens in the Coldwater emergency warning system at a cost of $16,900.

City Manager Jeff Budd explained to the city council the system is an outdoor warning system and not designed to be heard inside.

The siren at Vans Avenue on the Jefferson School grounds no longer rotates 360 degrees, which limits its effectiveness. Public Safety Director Mark Bartell said the repair costs for the siren would be almost as much as replacement.

The digital system is controlled by 911 dispatch and tested at 1 p.m. the first Saturday of each month. The sirens have battery back-up to run if power goes out.

Bartell said the system was put into place "years ago" after the Kelly Road tornado, which occurred during a city spring clean-up day when there were many people outside.

"That’s when we came up with the idea we had to warn as many citizens as possible who aren’t near a radio or TV," Bartell said.

The Public Safety Director noted now with the Code Red system, the public can sign up to have alerts sent to their cell or home phones — but the sirens are still necessary.

"We still want to make sure we get information out to as many of the public as possible," he said.